bigred Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Alright. Ever since 1988 my family has owned this little 2x4 short bed mj. Until this week it has been my brothers truck. He moved so now it's onto me. I want to of course convert to 4x4, But no knowledge of interchangable parts, what routes to take etc. etc. I am mechanically inclined and have worked on this particular jeep before but as stated above. Lack of in depth knowledge. Well any tips, tricks, ideas. Would help. I'm hoping to be able to stick with the 4banger that's in there if possible. What are my chioces in trans, t-case, axles what have you. Thanks in advance i'm sure it bores to answer noobs questions but they are greatly appreciated. :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geonovast Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Welcome to the club :cheers: You should throw up some pics of the truck! Finding parts is easy. Your best bet would be to find a complete donor XJ (Cherokee)that's the same motor, trans and 4wd. Preferably around the same year as yours, but pretty much any will work. Basic list of what you'll need. Front axle(Dana 30) that matches the gear ratio of your rear axle. 4wd transmission. (You didn't mention Manual or automatic) Transfer Case 4wd linkages and Shifter Front Driveshaft Shorter Rear Driveshaft The hole for the shifter is already there, just plated off. You will need to drill out 4 holes for the linkage bracket, but there are dimples there for you. Everything should be a direct swap. All the suspension components for the 2wd axle are literally identical to the 4wd one. You may need to swap brake calipers, however. Also, nearly everything from the seats forward on an XJ and MJ(Comanche) is the same. Very little was changed over the years as well. Example: My 91 2.5 MJ has a front axle from a 94 XJ, AX-5 Transmission and NP 231 T-case from a 93 XJ, Bellhousing and Clutch setup for an 86 XJ(for the external slave cylinder). If you ever need any front clip parts, like fenders, headlight bezel, header panel, etc. You can grab them from any 84-96 XJ and it'll slap right on. 97-01 will go on too, but you need the entire clip. Several people on here have done the conversions. All XJ/MJ hoods are interchangeable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomahawked Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Just finished the same conversion on my `88. Find a donor Cherokee up to 1990. They should be plentiful, so don't just jump on the first one you find. Sit back and wait until you find what you want for the truck on one vehicle. I don't know why you would prefer the 4 banger, but if the bellhousing is same, there are plenty of donor 4.0 liters around that have rest of the parts needed. Mostly its a plug and play swap unless you convert from auto to manual or other way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geonovast Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 A 4.0 tranny will not directly bolt up behind a 4cyl. You can get an AX-15 behind the 4 popper, but you need an incredibly rare Dakota bellhousing. The BA 10/15 will not go behind the 2.5. The 4.0 and 2.5 did use the same automatic (I believe), but they did have a different bellhousing, TQ, and they're not completely identical. It will fit in, but they're tweaked for their respective motors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigred Posted April 1, 2009 Author Share Posted April 1, 2009 THanks guys for the responses and help. It's nice to have some very experienced jeepers. I will take pictures as soon as possible. The only reason i was contemplating keeping the 4banger is due to the fact that the gm 2.8 isn't the best motor out there. And i also heard the 4.0 is a pain due to hardly any interchangable parts. I may plan on a swap down the road along with a larger lift but for now i just wanna get her running the 4x4 setup. That 4banger wasn't to junky from what i remember. But wow it wouldv'e tooken me forever to realize how the front ends are pratically like legos. haha i love legos! How about the 4.0l swap? I'm sure there's that group of you doing these swaps how much of a hassle is it? I wouldn't mind then being able to tow my sled/4wheeler up the canyons here in utah I've been using my subaru outback for that, And suprisingly that things can handle alot. But it's still my cross country road tripper so i hate to hurt it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 4.0 swap is fairly straightforward so long as you stay within the same model year range (i.e. Renix, '87-90). I just swapped a 4.0 into mine a few months ago, and have a build thread in the projects forum. viewtopic.php?f=7&t=11205 Welcome to the club :cheers: Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geonovast Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 4.0 swap is fairly straightforward so long as you stay within the same model year range (i.e. Renix, '87-90). I just swapped a 4.0 into mine a few months ago, and have a build thread in the projects forum. viewtopic.php?f=7&t=11205 Welcome to the club :cheers: Jeff May make it easier, but you don't have to. Either way, you have to swap the entire wiring harness, and just about everything in the engine bay. That being the case, I'd look for a 91+ for the HO motor, and an 89.5+ for the AX-15 if you're going with a 5 speed. If you find a 4.0 4x4 XJ, you can strip yours out and just move everything over. Only fab work you'll have to worry about is a little pounding on the firewall to make the 4.0 clear. The 84-86 firewalls are a little different, they changed it in 87 to fit the 4.0. Just make sure your gear ratios in your axles are the same. An XJ rear axle will go into an MJ, but you have to cut the perches and shock supports off and weld new perches on in the MJ location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigred Posted April 1, 2009 Author Share Posted April 1, 2009 Although i'm kind of convinced i would like to do the ho motor, I used to own older vw's and eventually began to dislike full harness swaps. Maybe later with that although it would be sweet. Also i had a question about the leaf setup on the 2.5 I am planning on a soa would you guys recommend possibly using the leafs from a 2.8? Or what is the overall payload for the stock leafs on the 2.5? Also recommendations on fluids to be ran in the t-case,diffs, etc. Or is the factory stuff worth just throwing back in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geonovast Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 The motor has nothing to do with the leaf springs. 4wd ones sit about 1" higher than 2wd, and lwb leafs are longer than swb leafs. The other difference is the Metric Tonne package will have much beefier leafs, with a payload of about 2200lbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 The motor has nothing to do with the leaf springs. 4wd ones sit about 1" higher than 2wd, and lwb leafs are longer than swb leafs. The other difference is the Metric Tonne package will have much beefier leafs, with a payload of about 2200lbs. Oh snap, you did NOT just say that. :doh: All MJ leafs are the same length, regardless of bed size (or payload or number of powered wheels). :thumbsup: But he is right on the other stuff. Metric Ton models will have a bit stiffer springs, and 4wd models sit about an inch higher than 2wd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geonovast Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Hmm, I stand corrected. I thought I remembered seeing they were. Wouldn't have any first hand experience, only having the 3 shortbeds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Don't sweat it. :thumbsup: Just the other day I said that 2.5Ls have a timing "belt". :yes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigred Posted April 16, 2009 Author Share Posted April 16, 2009 Alright i fonally have an update. I found locally a 94' xj 4.0 ho, i called the guy on it and went to take a look. It is suprisingly in great shape and running strong, the clutch it going out which is why he is getting rid of it. I picked it up for $450 bones and am picking up tonight. It's a 5speed as well. I'm figuring at this piont i will be swapping into the 87' mj. Well here goes.... Next post will contain pictures of both vehicles and the conditions they are in. :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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